Life-threatening heat will spread across the Southern U.S. today, August 13, and severe storms will hit the northeastern part of the country. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Tropical Storm Krosa heads toward Japan.
Stormy weather and dangerous heat
A frontal boundary will become stationary across the Northeast today, producing periods of showers and thunderstorms along the I-95 corridor. Storms could become severe from Raleigh to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and may slow down drivers due to large hail, intense winds, and torrential rainfall. Watch out for potential roadblocks due to flash flooding, especially on secondary routes and interstate ramps. Severe thunderstorms could also rumble across western Kansas and eastern Colorado, including the Denver area.
The same front stalling across the Northeast will slip into the Southeast tonight. Look for severe thunderstorms across the Tennessee Valley and the southern Appalachians along the I-24, I-40 and I-81 corridors. Minor to moderate delays are likely across Tennessee, North Carolina and southern Kentucky.
Prior to the storms, the heat and humidity will crank up. Highs will reach well into the 90s, but will feel like 110° to 115° from Memphis, Tennessee to McComb, Mississippi, as well as throughout much of Alabama and western Florida. Drivers: try not to overdo it while outside, and know the signs of heat stroke. Temperatures will also be steamy across Arkansas, Louisiana, and the eastern half of Texas where the heat index will crack 110° in many spots. Meanwhile, the Desert Southwest will sizzle in dry heat, where record highs near 115° will likely be set from Phoenix to Yuma – about 10 degrees above normal for mid-August. These will be the actual air temperatures, not the heat index values.
Tropical update
Tropical Storm Krosa is spinning over the western Pacific, getting close to Japan. As of 8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight TIme (EDT) today, 9:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time (JST), Krosa’s sustained winds were 50 mph. However, winds could reach Category 1 typhoon strength of 80 mph just prior to landfall in western sections Shikoku and Honshu islands on August 14.
Impacts of Krosa will include disruptions to ocean shipping routes, as well as short-term disruptions – closures of two days or fewer – at ports. This includes Nagoya, Japan’s largest and busiest trading port, located in Ise Bay at the confluence of the Kiso, Ibi and Nagara rivers. Minor disruptions in supply chains in and around Japan are also likely.
Have a great day, everyone, and be careful out there!